South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1887-10-07
THE CHILLANO.
characteristics of the Yankee
of South America"
The Most Powerful Republic in
America Except Ours.
The chillano is the yankee ~ s0n

American race, aggressive, audacious
and arrogant, quick to perceive, quick
to resent, fierce in disposition, cold
biooded and cruel as cannibai. He
dreams Of conquest. He has only a
strip of country along the Pacific coast
SO narrow that thercis scarcely room
enough to write its name upon the man.
hemmed in on the one side by the
eternal SHOWS that crown the CorlilIeras
and on the other by G, 900 miles of sea.
lie has been stretching himself north
ward until he has stolen all the sea coast
of Bolivia, with her valuable nitrate de-
posts, all the guano that belonged to
Peru, and contemplatcs taking actual
possession of 10th of those republics
soon. He has been reaching southwark
by DIPLOMACY, as he did northward by
war, and under a recent treaty with the
Argentine Republic divided Patagonia
with that nation, taking to himself the
control of that valuable internationa
highway, the Straits of Magellan. the
unexplorcd country between the Andes
and the ocean, and thousands Of islands
along the Pacific coast, whose resources
are unknown. BY securing the strait
ohiii acquired control of steam naviga-
ton In the South Pacific, and has cstab-
iished colony and fortress Mt Punta
Arenas, by which all vessels must pass.
Reposing TRANQUILITY now in the enjoy
mcnt of the newly acquired territory
along the Bolivian and Peruvian border,
and deriving an enormous revenue from
the export tax upon nitrate, the Chill
lano contemplates the internal dissen-
s1ons OF Peru, and waits anxiouslv for
the time when he can step in rs arbitra-
tor and, like the lawyer, take the estate
that the heirs are silly enough to quarrel
over. 1t is but question of years when
not only Peru but Bolivia will become n
part of Chill, and the aggressive nation
will want to push her eastern boundary
back of the Andes and secure control of
the sources of the Amazon. rs she has of
the navigation of the strait.
The Chillanos lead the Southern con-
tinent, and are the most powerful of all
the republics III America except our
own. Their statesmen are wise and
able, their people are industrious and
progressive, and have that strength of
mind and muscle which is given only to
the men OF temperate zones. There is
strong similarity between the Chillanos
and the Irish. Both have the same wit
and reckless courage, the same love of
country ard patriotic pride. Wherever
CHILEAN goes he carries his opinion that
there never was and never can be bet
ter land than that in which he was born:
and although he may be refugee or an
exile, he will fight in defense of Chill
at the drop of the hat There is some
thing refreshing in his patriotism, even
If 1t be the most arrogant vanity. Our
people are becoming ashamed Of the
Fourth of July, and the Declaration of
independence is the butt OF professional
jokers. The Chiliano will cut the
throat of man who will not celebrate
with him September IS, his indie
pcndencc day, and there is n law in the
country requiring every house to have
flagstaff and every flagstaff to bear the
national colors on banner by day and
lantern by night on the anniversaries
of the republic. All the schools must
use text books by native authors, all the
bands play the compositions of native
composers and visiting opera and con-
cert singers are compelled TO vary their
performances 10y introducing the songs
OF the country. 1t is said that a French
man can never be dcnationalized. The
same is true of the ChiIlno. There has
not been n successful revolution in Chill
since 1889, and although there is no
where n more unruly and discordant peo-
pie, nowhere more murders and other
serious crimes, in their love OF country
the naughty don and The patient peon,
the hunted bandit aud the cruel soldier
are one.
As soldier the Chillano is brave to
rccklcssncss, and sense of fear is un-
known to him. He will not endure q
siege, nor can nc bc made to fight Mt
long range; but as soon rs nc sees the
enemy nc fires one vollcy, drops his gun,
and rushcs in with his curvo. His en-
DURANGO is rs great as his courage. and
no North American Indian can travel so
far without rest or go so long without
food or water as the Chillano pcon. or
"Roto," a. the mixed race is called. As
the "Cholo" in Peru is the descendant
Of the Spaniards and the Incas. so is the
"Roto" IN Chill the child of the Spaniard
and the Arnucauian Indians. the race Of
giants with which the early explorers re-
ported that Patagonia was pcopled-
"mcnne Of that bigglncss," a. Sir Fran
els Drake reported, 'that it seemed the
trees Of the forests were uprootcd and
were moving away" They have the
Spanish tcnacity Of purpose, the Indian
endurance, and the cruelty Of both.
Each soldier in the mountains or the
desert, carries on his breast two buck
skin bags. In one arc the leave
OF the coca plant, in the
other powdered lime made Of